A Small Difference
by nightowl191
Summary: ...can change a lot. Pike can't get Jim assigned as his First Officer, however he does get him assigned to the USS Matinee. Jim meets a young ensign named Élodie who knows more than anyone can guess. In the wake of this, Khan is bent on releasing his crew, doing whatever he deems necessary. A new spin on STID, starting after Pike's meeting with Kirk. No romantic pairings as of yet.
1. Prologue

A/N: This is based in STID, right as Kirk gets chewed out by Pike. I wondered what it would be like if instead of becoming first officer of the _Enterprise_, Jim was assigned to another ship? Now I have a plot going in an entirely new direction than the movie (although I absolutely loved STID)!

Thanks for giving this a try, and let's see where it goes.

The prologue is a lot like the Pike/Kirk scene in the film, although slightly different. I can't remember exactly how it goes, and I'm sure all of you aren't interested reading a scene you've already watched. Plus there are a few things I've changed, and I've added onto the scene.

UPDATE: Actually now that I've reread this again, and seen STID again, I realized that I've strayed quite a bit from the actual scene. I'm not sure if I'm going to update this scene to fit it in for the movie, word for word. Or if I'm going to leave it as is, because I don't like rewriting scenes from the movies word for word. I kind of like where I took this, but until I get the DVD, I'm going to leave the Prologue as is for now.

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.

Prologue

"They're sending you back to the academy."

I picked up my gaze the carpet and looked at him in disbelief. School? "So I make one mistake and I'm back to the academy again? Not only that, but learning how to do the same thing that I've been doing for nearly a year?" I lifted my head defiantly, and spit out the next few words. "What if I hadn't gone back for Spock? What if I had let him die? There would have been no one to sell me out, but I would have lost a goddamn good first officer."

"Jim-"

"Were those my options? Let Spock die and stay captain, or save a life and get sent back to school?"

"You shouldn't have put yourself in that position-"

"-In the first place, I know." Pike dropped his eyes from his face I could tell that he was sorry. Sorry that he had to be the one to tell me this. Maybe he was just sorry I was being kicked out in general. I didn't know for sure, and in that moment I didn't really care. After a moment's pause I said, "So that's it then?"

"I'm sorry, Jim. You know it wasn't my call." He looked back at me, his eyes tracing over my face. I don't what he was looking for – forgiveness, maybe? I wasn't even ready to start thinking about that. A part of me knew that I didn't blame Pike, but I ignored that part. He lowered his voice to almost a whisper, his voice losing the authority from before, "_I _understand why you made that call, but you also blatantly disregarded the prime directive. And Starfleet doesn't take kindly to that; you can't keep relying on luck like this… "

I lowered my head like a whipped dog (yes, I admit it); all the anger that fueled my earlier outburst started to crumble and left a pit in my stomach. "Is the prime directive the only problem?"

"The admiralty thought that it showed a flaw in leadership, and a general lack of respect for the rules."

"Do you?"

He paused for a moment. "There's greatness in you, Jim… but there's not an ounce of humility." Pike took a deep breath and in exasperation continued. "I think you'll make a great Captain, you're just not ready for the chair yet." He looked at me long and hard in the face.

"And Spock?"

"Staying on as my first officer until further notice."

"Permission to leave, sir?" I started to turn around towards the door before I even finished the question.

He sighed. "Permission granted, and Jim?" I paused just before the door and didn't turn around. "You know I believe in you, right?" I didn't answer, just barely twitched my head in a nod. Then, I picked up the pace and hightailed it out of his office. I kept my head down, barely acknowledging the high ranking figures who passed by.

I didn't look for Spock, I didn't want to deal with him right now. I didn't know if he was still in the building and I didn't care. I didn't want to talk to anyone right now and I didn't want to think about what would happen next. I almost marched right out of the building - well marched was kind of a strong word, considering how much of a slouch I'd suddenly gained. Ran was more like it. The only reason I stopped was because of the receptionist.

Before you ask, yes she was attractive, okay? However, the real reason I stopped for her was because I hadn't signed out on her PADD yet. "Sir?" she asked as I brushed past her desk. "You didn't sign out yet!" she called. I turned on my heel and strode back over to her desk.

"Sorry about that," I apologized, and turned my lips up into what could be called my brightest smile. You know, if you were a Vulcan or lived a lonely life in cave somewhere and didn't know what real smiles looked like. She, however, took little notice of the strange thing my mouth had curled into, and smiled at me as she handed me her PADD.

"Just sign right here for me," she said as she pointed on the screen to a space below my picture. My best shit-eating grin looked back at me, happy at his new promotion to Captain. That had been months ago. "Here," I glanced back at her as she handed me a stylus. "So, a lot on your mind?"

"Heh… what makes you say that?" I pressed the stylus to the PADD, and scrawled my name and rank. "There." I said, leaning over the desk and placing it in front of her.

"Thanks…" She grinned brightly at me. I was about to take my leave when a robotic voice rang out.

"INVALID IDENTIFICATION." I leaned back over the desk and the receptionist, Julia said her nametag, crinkled her forehead in confusion. She tapped a few times on her PADD and gave it back to me.

"Sorry, you're going to have to do that again. It probably didn't read your signature right or some… oh!" Her face lit up. "This has happened before; you must've put the wrong rank in. Did the admiral change it?"

"You could say that," I grit out. I glanced at my picture again, but what was underneath was what I was really looking for. It read:

Kirk, James T. Rank: Cadet

A/N: The next chapter is where things are really going to start to change. In case anyone was curious, everything before this scene is exactly as it was in STID.

UPDATE: Sorry! Another update. I added a little to this, not enough to make anyone reread it, I just wanted to fix some sentences etc. Also, back to my interpretation of the Pike scene. I kind of like it, it makes sense for where I'm going to next with the story! Sorry for the slow updates, but the next chapter will be up soon. Also I don't mean to repost this, I just wanted to fix a few things.


	2. Chapter One - A Change in Plans

A/N: I want to apologize for taking over a month to update. I'm very sorry. I just want to make it clear that I was NOT waiting for more reviews. I will NEVER withhold updates just because I don't get "enough" reviews.

The real excuse is that I posted the prologue right before things started getting busy. I probably should've thought that through more, but oh well. Anyway, it did give me time to think through the plot a little more, and since then I have made some changes from my original plot that I like much better. Also, I have a few ideas on how to play around with certain scenes from the movie.

Also… I want to give a shout out to everyone who favorited, subscribed to and reviewed the prologue. (Child of the Night13, Milkywaysupernova, LTJGAmber, kaya sawada, and Kamen Rider Lynx) I know it was pretty short and there wasn't a lot to go on, and I'm surprised people have added this to their favorites already! You guys are awesome, thank you very much! I got a lovely PM from Child of the Night13 (love your username) that really kicked me in the rear, and pushed me to finish this chapter (which has been half done for over a week, sorry!). I finally got ahead on a couple of things, and figured I'd try to crank out the rest.

Okay, I'm done. I'm not going to promise anything, but I'll try cranking out (love that phrase) the next chapter sooner next time. And without further ado…

By the way, there is some dialogue from the movie, but it's kind of necessary.

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or STID.

Chapter One – A Change in Plans

I found myself in a bar later that night. Big surprise. In all seriousness though, the minute I could get out of that formal uniform the better. It's stiff and tight, and if I had to look at the rank on my sleeves again I was going to puke. Now I'm back in my old jacket, new shirt though, give me some credit. Hell, I'm glad I kept that old leather jacket, it's been with me to many a dive. Bones can attest to that.

Speaking of dives, the one I picked was far enough away from campus and headquarters that I didn't have to see cadet red anywhere near me. The moment I walked into the place it smelled like home sweet home – alcohol and the BO of several alien races having a drink together. I sat right in my usual spot, on the corner of the bar, which just so happened to be near not one, but two young women. Not that I was all that concerned at that moment, but it was a nice reassurance. As I saddled in-between them – not that's the most accurate description, the one on my right was at least two seats away, but you get the point – the sour looking bartender looked toward me and I ordered a scotch (Scotty would be so proud).

The bartender, dropped a drink right in front of me almost as soon as I sat down, the big ball of ice still clinking around the glass. I took a swig.

"Hmm… bad day?" came a voice on my left.

"How'd you guess?" I retorted, turning my head to face her. When I did I nearly did a double take, and no, it wasn't because she was that hot or anything. Quite the opposite actually, she looked like hell. Earlier I said that I was reassured with my seating arrangements, but I hadn't seen her up close yet.

Okay, it wasn't that she was ugly; I'm not that much of a jerk. I'm sure she looked perfectly fine, but it was hard to look past the red puffy eyes with full bags underneath them. That and her hair (brown by the way, in case you wanted to know) and clothes (civilian – nothing special to report there) were all disheveled.

She grinned at me halfheartedly and leaned her elbows on the bar top, next to several empty beer bottles. I wish I could say that she had a friend help her with those beers, but it became pretty evident she handled them herself. Especially when she slurred, "well you know, you've got the look? You know?"

"The look?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you know? The look?" She paused and picked up her drink and took a small swig. I was half expecting her to repeat herself again. She put the beer back down, and paused for a minute. Then she smiled. "Good I've got your attention. Now where were we?"

"You were-"

"Right! Anyway, most guys who go to bars, they come in a lot of the time with their uniforms still on from whatever job they do. Be it the fancy tech guys or Starfleet officers… whatever. They sit down and they order a beer, and yack with their bar buddies. They say they had a rough day, but they've got nothing on you."

"Me?" Hell, maybe she was going somewhere with this.

"Yeah. You see you ordered a Scotch…"

"Yeah?"

"And you sat down next to two women." _And_ maybe she was just rattling on through some alcohol induced nonsense.

"Look maybe you need to-"

"You got demoted today, didn't you?"

…

Suffice to say I was listening.

"Now will you listen? I didn't want to throw it out in the open like that, figured you might want to hook up with a girl tonight or something. Need something to impress her with. But with such a low blow I doubt you were going to try very hard. What? Need an explanation?" She sighed as if this was so tedious. "You're not in your uniform, which means you probably don't want to be recognized, especially by any fellow crew members. Which goes hand in hand with the fact you're in this dive, instead of one of the more crowded ones in the heart of the city." The bartender gave her a look as he filled a glass nearby. "Oh, sorry Jerry. Where was I? Oh. You came in alone, and it doesn't look like you're expecting anyone else to show up. And then there's the kicker." She smirked drunkenly, and her eyes grew a little less dim. Then her eyes widened, her face paled, and her hand shot to her mouth.

I jumped off my chair; I've seen that look before, and not just on my face. She nearly fell to the ground trying to get off the stool, but stumbled back up and took off in the direction of the bathroom, hand still on her mouth.

I looked from the bathroom to Jerry - the bartender. "How much did she drink?" I asked as I settled back into my chair.

He raised an eyebrow at me, not unlike Spock, then looked to the beer bottles sitting on the counter. "Two, three, four…" he counted. "Five and a half."

"Is she in here a lot?" He shook his head. "Have you seen her before?" Again with a no. I sighed. "Do you even know her name?"

"Hmm… starts with an E, I think." I must have given him a look, because he then said, "Look buddy, I don't even know your name – although I have a good guess – so how am I supposed to remember some bimbo's name. Refill?"

"Sure." He picked up my near empty glass, and dropped another in front of me. I again watched the ice slide around. I took up a swig. I felt eyes on me from my right. I looked over to the girl on my right, who – thank you to the universe – looked much more put together.

I was about ready to pull my best flirtatious smile, when oh and behold who sat down next to me? That's right. Pike. I pulled a face and groaned.

"Nothing for me thanks," I heard him say to the bartender. I took a deep breath and gave in.

"Alright, how'd you find me?"

"I know you better than you think I do," he answered with ease. "Last time I found you, it was in a dive like this." I heard Jerry clear his throat just a little too loudly. "You were drooling on the floor."

"I don't remember that."

"It was an epic beating."

"That's not how it happened."

"You had napkins hanging out of your nose."

I smiled in defeat. "Yeah, that was a good fight."

"A good fight… I think that's your problem right there." I could hear his tone grow more serious. I looked over at him, all humor gone from my face. "They gave her back to me, you know. The _Enterprise."_

I was almost taken aback for a moment. But then, of course they would give her to Pike, it was only the logical choice as Spock would say. Speaking of Spock… "Well congratulations. Just watch your back with that Vulcan first officer."

"Jim… Spock didn't mean to-" I gave him a look. He sighed. "I got you reassigned. You're on the USS _Matinee_."

That stopped me short. "The _Matinee_?"

"As Captain Finn's first officer."

"I don't know what to say." And really I didn't, I mean I was actually on a ship with a high rank. But it _was_ the USS _Matinee_.

"Well that's a first." Pike smiled.

"Thank you."

"Well, you know, it took some convincing for Admiral Marcus, but you know what I said? I said if _anyone_ deserves a second chance it's Jim Kirk." I stared down at my drink, stunned. "I know the _Matinee_ isn't the most exciting ship in the fleet, but it'll help you back up." He placed a hand on my shoulder and shook it gently. "It's going to be alright, son."

I quickly took another swig. A communicator beeped. I went to check my pocket, then realized I'd left it in my apartment. Pike swiftly pulled his out, after a second he put away.

"An emergency conference at headquarters, an archive blew up in London." He looked at me sadly. "Sorry Jim, this isn't your division. Just lay low for a little bit." He stood up to leave. "It's going to be alright." And with that he was gone.

Back on a ship? A ship that, unfortunately, only handled small missions, and was one of the oldest still in operation – but it was a ship nonetheless. I didn't know how to react to that.

"Okay, that wasn't a fun time." Turns out I didn't even get a chance to react because here was you-know-who.

I looked over and Miss Tipsy came stumbling over to her stool. She sat down with a moan, sat ramrod straight for a few seconds, then the top half of her body slumped over onto the bar counter.

"…are you okay?"

She didn't answer, I was starting to get worried until the sound of soft snoring filled my ears. "Right. Okay."

"Are you taking her home or what?" Jerry practically barked the question into my ear. I spun towards him.

"Are you serious? I don't even know her name. How am I supposed to know where she lives?"

"I don't know and I don't care." He crossed his arms and glared at me. "First she comes in here and drinks herself into a stupor, next you meet up with your buddy and he doesn't even buy anything." I looked him right in the eye, which were a nice coal black, how endearing. "I want you out now."

"Do you know who I am?" I can't believe I even tried to pull that card.

"Yeah, and I don't care. Get. Out." Suddenly Jerry looked very intimidating, what with his tallness, and bald head and – were those horns on his head? It was too dark to be sure, and at the moment I didn't want to find out. I wasn't in the mood for a petty bar fight, and besides he had a point. Who else was going to take this girl home? Some slime ball?

"Alright, alright we're going." I pushed myself off my chair and awkwardly walked over to Tipsy. "Uh…" I tapped on her shoulder twice, she didn't stir. "Hey… you. Wake up." I moved her arm a bit. She moaned and her right squinted up at me. "Hi. Name's Jim. Remember me? I'm taking you home."

She mumbled a bit and nodded her head. "Ooookay."

"Where do you live?" No answer, her eye was shut again.

"Damn it." Where's Bones when you need him? Hell, I could do with Spock's strength right now. I picked up one arm and supported her weight as I sat her up. In all honesty, she wasn't even that heavy. I didn't even know how short she was until I stood her up. She barely hit five foot four. I was sure I was going to have to drag her with me because as I started to the door she barely batted a lid.

As I passed by the tables by the door, the few people in the bar gave me strange looks. "Hey, how's it going?" I asked a pretty girl, she rolled her eyes and turned away. Great. Just as I was pushing my way through the door, Mystery Girl caught her feet and began to walk with me, some of the weight came off my shoulder.

I looked down at her face, it was contorted with focus and effort. Man, she was completely wasted. "Hey," I tried again. "Hey, do you want me to take you home? Where do you live?" I started walking down the street, the smell of the bar and music from inside it silenced itself as the door shut behind us. She stumbled a bit but kept up with me; although, about a block later her grip started to slacken. I held on to her a little tighter, pulling her arm farther around my shoulders and I tried to hold her up with the arm I had around her waist.

It was a cool night with a slight breeze that blew from the east; the streets were quieter in this part of San Francisco. Without the campus life, and considering the remote location that the bar was in, the streets was practically deserted. Several tall structures stood out by the bar and one of San Francisco's many new age skyscrapers loomed just a few blocks behind it. The bar itself was a kind of small, shabby looking building. It was one of the few remaining original structures of the 21st century. You could tell because the outside looked like it was built, rebuilt and patched up all in one, with different materials from the past couple centuries.

"No. I-I-live north," she stammered out between deep breaths. It had been several minutes since I'd asked question, her answer surprised me. I thought she'd fallen asleep again.

"North?"

"Outside of the city." The air suddenly became much colder. Yeah, that wasn't happening. Plan B. My apartment.

We were coming up to up of the city's bus stations, where I led underneath the glass-plated awning, and to a shiny, metal bench. It was a relief to get her off my shoulder as I helped her sit down on the bench. She slumped gracefully down onto it, her lolling back and her eyes rolling closed.

Attached to one side of the awning was a PADD; currently, it had a list of buses and times. There were a few buses still out (of course there was, it wasn't even eleven yet) and the next one was scheduled to come in the next couple of minutes. To be sure I brought up a screen of a San Francisco map, on it, several blinking dots showed the locations of the buses. Yep, less than two minutes now.

Maybe the universe was finally starting to give me a break.


	3. Chapter Two - The Next Morning

A/N: I'm back for a new chapter! Since I'm too scatter brained at the moment to write ahead, I have to write when I can. And I don't enjoy it one bit, let me tell you. I wanted to get some of this story done last weekend, but I got dumped with a lot of things to do, and no time to even relax. And this weekend looked the same, but I got a day to relax write! So I'm a little out of it, so hopefully this chapter turns out alright. It's kind of important, as you will see here soon.

I picked up new followers with my last chapter: Shara Raizel, paddyfoot92, T'Xiao, LihBatalha, and Black Thorns Entangled K. Several of which I just found out about today due FF not emailing any alerts the past week. So that made my day! Thank you so much! Thanks for the reviews too! I'm really excited for what I have planned out for this story, and I hope you guys like it as well. Also, sorry for the long notes, I tend to ramble on a bit.

Also, I like making shoutouts to those who review, follow, or favorite my story. If for any reason you don't want me to mention you, just send me a PM.

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek.

Chapter Two – The Next Morning

Getting through the door wasn't much of a problem usually, but when you're wrestling with someone who is half conscious it can get a little more challenging. By the time we made it back to my place, I'd had my shoes puked on and my sanity challenged.

But hey, I'm not that bad of a guy alright? I helped her inside and then sat her down – well, attempted anyway – on my couch. At which point, she blinked a few times, and then her eyes flew open wide. The glazed look in them subsided for a minute, and then she just looked at me with this expression, she was so alert that I began to question whether she was drunk at all.

Then she just stood up – way too quickly, I might add – she was almost frantic. What was I doing? I don't remember, don't expect me to remember. I _do_ remember trying to stop her from falling over when her legs started wobbling. See, I'm a nice guy. But she wouldn't hear of it, she put her hands out and then glared at me, all without saying a thing. Then she turned around, facing my bedroom door, and stumbled foward.

"Wait, that's my –" It slid open for her, and she stumbled inside, I was right behind her. "Hey, hold on a second." Next thing I knew, I heard a thump, and reached the bed in time to see her flop onto it.

My hand was poised over her shoulder and just as I was about to shake her, I heard the sounds of soft snoring. "Are you serious?" I glared at the wall behind the bed for a moment, and then snatched my discarded blanket and left the room. So when exactly had my life turned into one of those old sitcoms?

I was at the point where I didn't care where I ended up, as long as I was sleeping the day could end. I lay out on the couch and pulled my blanket on. Remembering I hadn't taken them off yet, I kicked my shoes off next to the coffee table.

"**Mr. Kirk, not that your story isn't interesting, but what does this have to do with the incident that occurred two weeks ago?"**

**I blink a few times, clearing my vision. I almost forgot about them: Admirals Barnett and Archer. They came out just to see how I'm doing and… well, okay. They're getting my statement from the "incident" or whatever they are calling it now.**

"**Admirals, all this information is important, I wouldn't be telling you it if it wasn't, right?" I practically lie through my teeth, but hey everything I'm telling them is important, to me at least. I watch one of Archer's eyebrows raise; he always knows when I'm being a pain in the ass. "Honestly, we'll get to good parts, just hold on for a little while."**

**They look at each other for a moment, and then Barnett turns to me. "Alright, proceed then Mr. Kirk." A pause. "Just please leave out some of the side comments, this is going on an official report."**

"**Alright. So where was I?"**

"**The next morning. That's right. So the next morning I woke up with a kink in my neck…"**

I groaned, and when I opened my eyes I could see that it was morning. I also noticed that my back hurt, so that was great.

"**Mr. Kirk…"**

"**Yeah, I know. Sorry…"**

So, I started to get up, and then I saw the time on the PADD next to my table. Six in the morning. After the night I had, there was no way in hell I was going to get up that early. I tried to roll over, but them my blanket fell off the couch, and as inappropriate or whatever that this might seem. I had to use the restroom.

"**I still don't see how this is of any importance…"**

_And then_, I got up and made my way to the bathroom, back sore and with a kink in my neck.

"**Mr. Kirk! You've already said that."**

"**I'm just trying to make a point."**

"**Does it have anything to do with the 'incident'?" Barnett has this very ugly vein sticking out and I'm pretty sure he needs some chamomile tea. The look on his face is making it very hard for me to keep a straight face.**

"…**No."**

"**Then I just suggest, Jim," I turn my head to Archer. "That you keep your commentary at a minimum. Understood?" He has this serious tone of voice, but I can see the old guy trying to hide a smile.**

"**Sir, yes, sir."**

Yeah, so I'll cut the explanation. I got up, made my way to the bathroom and took shower. Not one of those sonic ones, the real deal. And then I got out, and don't start picturing anything, I didn't have any clothes, so I wrapped a towel around myself. I really should have thought it through better because there was still another person in my apartment. Who also just so happened to be in the room with all my clothes.

Of course at the time, my mind was only just waking up from my limited sleep and slight hangover. The shower helped, but not a lot. So I stepped out of the bathroom with that state of mind. I walked out the door, and I thought I heard a door close.

Now don't get your hopes up, this wasn't like one of those romantic comedies from the twenty first century, okay? By the time I came out of the bathroom she was gone. I could only assume that the door I heard close was her leaving out the front door. That was a relief. Not that I have never had women overnight before, but usually it's for different reasons. This was a stranger I didn't even know the name of, and she puked on me. To run into her without any clothes on, and after all that, would be a bit strange.

Especially, after what she said the night before, and not about how she hated vomiting. I couldn't really put a finger on how all those words came out of her mouth, even while half drunk. Sitting between two women? Okay… but about not wearing my uniform and showing up alone? They seem like such obvious observations, but she put them together like it was nothing. And she was right. What about the look?

I was getting dressed when my comm. went off. "Kirk here."

"Jim." It was Bones. Of course.

"Look Bones, I don't know if you got the memo, but if you're calling then you probably did. I'm fine and I don't need to talk about it. I think I –"

"_Jim."_ Something in his voice stopped me in my tracks. "Jim… have you looked at any of the news today?"

"Of course not Bones, it's seven in the morning, you should be surprised I'm awake this early after –"

"Jim, just…" He cut me off again, and that many Jim's in a row could not be good. "There was attack on Starfleet HQ this mornin'. They won't tell us – well me – much. But I was helping treat the wounded this morning." I felt my stomach drop and hit the floor.

"There was a meeting last night. Captains and first officers."

"How'd you know about that?"

"Pike met me at the bar last night, his comm. went off…" I trailed off. There was a heartbeat's pause.

"Jim, there were several casualties-"

"Pike and Spock?"

I could hear the hesitation in his voice and my breathing hitched. "Spock came out with only a few minor injuries, he should be released from the hospital in an hour or two. They just want to a run a few tests. Nothin'-"

"_Bones_." It sounded more like _please._

His voice became quiet. "Pike… he didn't make it, Jim." Every muscle in my body turned to jelly, my legs felt boneless. I sat on my bed, still in boxers and a tee shirt. My heart beat heavily in my ears, and for a minute they were all I could hear.

"I'm sorry." Bones' voice barely reached my ears, it's a miracle I heard what he said next. "They're planning on having you meet on one of lower floors in an hour.

Something about a reassignment. If you need me to tell those bastards to fu-"

I found my voice. "No." I stumbled to my feet and found my dress uniform flung over a chair in the corner of the room. I threw it over there after my hearing with Pike. Only hours before.

"Jim, you should know, before they tell you. Nearly half the people in that room died, Admiral Marcus is among them."

"**I think that's enough for now, gentlemen." Both Archer and Barnett nearly jump in their chairs and turn towards the door, I'm too tired to even act surprised. Barnett makes another laughable expression, one of surprise and anger. I look over my shoulder and Bones practically charges into the room, making his way right next to me and leans his hands on the table. His face screws up into a half scowl, while still trying to make some effort of respect towards his superiors.**

"**Dr. McCoy. We're just getting started here –"**

"**It's been over an hour. I said forty-five minutes. Admiral or not, my **_**patient**_** needs rest." I can only see the side of his face, but I can imagine the stare down he's giving the men across the table.**

"**Dr. McCoy. Kirk is still a Starfleet **_**officer**_** and so are you, and under my jurisdiction, I can have him **_**removed**_** from you care effecti-"**

"**Admiral. I think we've gathered enough information for now. Don't you?" Archer's holds authority, enough to send Barnett sputtering.**

"**Of course." Then he looks to me. "Thank you for your time Mr. Kirk, we'll be back." The look he sends Bones' way with those last few words would have scared off anyone else, but Bones held his ground.**

**The admirals leave quietly behind us. "I don't know how you managed to talk so long. I tried to get in here fifteen minutes ago, but there was a crash patient down the hall. You okay?"**

**I sigh a breath of relief. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. A little tired, maybe."**

"**That's to be expected." He begins to wheel me out the door, and down the long, bright halls of the hospital. "I wasn't kidding about that rest. You need it after what you just said in there."**

"**Yeah…" I can feel the numbness emerge, but I'm too tired to care. We're about five doors down from my room.**

"**Did she really just leave like that?"**

"**Hmm?"**

"**Élodie."**

**My voice is groggy, but I still say, "Yes. Well, kind of. She left a message on my PADD. It said 'Thank You, James T. Kirk.'"**

**Bones is silent for a moment. We turn into my room, and he helps me steady myself as I lie down on the bed. "That was all?" He asks, checking my vitals on the biobed.**

"**Until later."**

A/N: Oh no. Look what I did.

By the way, in case anyone was confused, **this**__means the present day hearing between Kirk and Barnett and Archer. _This_ is just over emphasized words. I know the whole telling a story/flashback thing has been used before. But I rather enjoy using it. So there.


	4. Chapter Three - The Meeting

A/N: Well, I think that last chapter went pretty well, I at least like it, so that's a miracle. Now onto the next one. Again, I'm about to get busy over the next week or so, but I'll try to get this done. I did plan out this story, but this next part wasn't completely detailed in my head before I sat down to write it. So I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing at this point. How encouraging…

Again, **this** is present day, _this _is just stressed words.

I want to thank Castiel, DaisyKitten, and for following or favoriting.

Disclaimer: You know the drill, I don't own Star Trek.

….

Chapter Three – The Meeting

"**Okay, Jim. Why don't you tell what happened after you left off?" Barnett's tone is even, and he speaks slowing. I feel like an eight year-old.**

"**Where'd I leave off?" I could almost see the outline of Barnett's vein again. Archer raises an eyebrow and I see his mouth twitch upwards. As Barnett begins to open his mouth, I say, "Okay. Back to business, right."**

…**..**

I don't remember much about getting ready to leave my apartment, or even how I got to headquarters in the first place. I just know I ended up _there_, and Kormac was sitting me down, some other officers. Didn't I see you guys there? Don't answer that. When I walked in, there was a lot of buzzing. Officers were everywhere. The walls were white – I mean they still are – but they were really white then. I don't know why people were running around, I don't know who was there. I just walked into that building and kept going.

The floors. The floors were really clean, really shiny. And whatever office I was chauffeured into had really nice carpeting. I mean incredibly expensive looking. Do all the admirals have carpets like that? If so that's a pretty nice incentive, I'd like to get some of that on the _Enterprise_. Probably not in Sick Bay, though. Bones will get blood all over it.

Wait, don't give me that look. I'm focusing. The office with the carpet, that was Kormac's, I think. It was. He was calling the shots because Marcus died. His secretary kind of pushed me in, and there were people inside. Really shady people. I know I'm sounding vague here, but I was kind of in shock. But the people in his office stood out to me because they were so out of their element. Everyone I'd seen, or sort of seen, up to that point had been in formal uniform, you know gray, and they had been running around with no expression on their faces, not looking at anyone in particular.

These guys in Kormac's office were wearing these weird dark uniforms, and when I entered the room they all turned and stared at me. There three or four of them, at least two men. One that kind of looked like a woman if you used your imagination… Actually, one of the males looked a little strange to…

Either way, they stared at me for a few seconds, the Kormac cleared his throat and dismissed them. It was strange how they left, with almost practiced steps and in a straight line. Then somehow I ended up in a chair, with Kormac standing behind his desk with his back facing me.

The door to my left slid shut, and I waited in silence for a while. So there I was in this little room, with its carpet and comfy chairs and huge window, across the room from a Starfleet admiral. The déjà vu was suffocating, if it already didn't leave a numb feeling in my stomach.

He stood there for a few minutes, then he put his hands behind his back and straightened up, I could his back crack from where I was sitting. "Commander Kirk," he said. "You realize why you're here, correct?"

"Yes, sir," I answered, but it came out more like a croak. I cleared my throat and he continued, turning around to face me.

"I have no doubt that Dr. Mc…" he looked lost for a second, and then looked down at his desk. "McAlister? No."

"McCoy, sir."

"Yes, McCoy. I'm sure the doctor has already supplied you with some inside information. Typically, that's against protocol and he would he reprimanded. He's a doctor, and while he has a high rank, he no longer is under your jurisdiction. But… given the situation. Well, let's just say that some of these minor… slips in judgement… are being ignored at the time being." He spoke slowly. I was half listening and the half of me was wondering if he needed more sleep or if he slept too much. "So uhh… McCath won't be reported." I'm pretty sure he was tired.

I didn't know what to say, it was like my brain was a funnel and only a few words would come at a time. "Yes, sir."

He straightened up again and began pacing the length of his desk, like he was unsure of what to say. Then he stopped by the window, but refused to look at me. "Mr. Kirk. I am aware that you were one of the top graduates of your class. I am also aware that you were not only recruited by Admiral Pike, but that you were close friends."

I felt vomit build up in my throat and swallowed it down. "Sir?"

"We're all sorry for the death of Christopher Pike, he was a good man." Still looking out the window, he sighed, and then stared at the floor. "He was a good friend to many of the admiralty. Many of our finest officers were recruited by him, we'll be missed." I ground my fingers into the arms of my chair and felt the blood drain from my face. "He was closer to you than most officers," he said, turning to face me now. "He once told me that the day you received the _Enterprise_, he felt so proud. Kirk, we _will_ track down the bastard who did this."

"Of course we will, sir."

Kormac stepped around his desk and pulled out a chair, sitting down right in front of me. "Every part of you is probably screaming to take him down, but it's not so simple."

"If I have permission sir…?"

"Permission granted."

"You called me in here today and you played therapist, but now you're telling me there's nothing I can do?" I couldn't help the bitterness that escaped through my lips.

"Commander, I'm sorry. But we're not sending you out to look for him. You're in Starfleet, you're needed in space-"

"So, he's on Earth still?"

Silence. And then Kormac spoke, "I called you in here today as a favor. A favor to you and Pike. Most officers won't get much information, the press will get even less. Since you are close to Commander Spock and Admiral Pike, and factor in Dr. McCoy, it seemed right to let you know what happened." He stood restlessly and began pacing again. I followed closely with my eyes. "Last night, many Captains and First Officers met in this building for a meeting. I'm sure it's no news to you that the Kelvin Memorial Archive in London was bombed last night as well? An officer that worked there was blackmailed into setting off the explosion. By the same man who attacked last night."

He paused probably wanted it to sink in for a minute, but I could feel my heart rate increase and my palms sweat. I needed to know. "Who is he?"

"A former officer of Starfleet. Name's John Harrison."

"Where is he now?"

Kormac looked at me strangely, maybe pityingly, and tilted his head to the side. Then he sighed and ran a hand over his face. His posture slouched and he looked drained. Too bad I wasn't done with him yet.

After what felt like an hour, he answered, "We don't know. Not in space. We have operatives out looking for him, and all Starfleet buildings are on lockdown… Jim, I can't really tell you much more than that."

"Admiral Marcus is dead, right? So who is in charge of everything?"

He cringed slightly at the hard edge my voice had adopted. "Well the admiralty is operating together, but I guess you could say I'm in charge. Responsibility falls to me until if and when a new head is appointed. Things are a little out of sorts, so I'm falling through with the orders Marcus left in case something like this should occur… Speaking of which, I have another meeting in a few minutes." He looked almost relieved at that, and stood up. "You are dismissed, Commander. Your new ship is getting repaired, so you will be notified of the USS _Matinee_ when she is ready."

I stood up and saluted him, then quickly made my way out the door. Let's just say I had friends to see.

….

A/N: Sorry, there was a lot of talking in this one, but I promise the pace will pick up soon.


End file.
